Life On The Line
by laughingmagician
Summary: COMPLETE Based on the movie Cellular. Dark Angel, Roswell Crossover. Liz Parker has been kidnapped and has access to a phone. The only line she can get through is Alec's in Seattle...
1. Chapter 1

an original roswell/dark angel fan fiction

**written by: **jennifer s. a.k.a. assassinelektra

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Dark Angel, Roswell, or their characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Dark Angel, Roswell, and X-Tremer fans.

**Title**: Life On The Line

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance,

**Setting**: This fic takes place during the second season of Dark Angel

**Rating: **Teen

**Author's Note: Thanks SilverMoonStar for the idea and challenge! **

**Chapter 1**

**Don't Hang Up!**

"So what did Logan have to say?" I asked Max as she handed me my phone back.

"Nothin' you should worry about." Max snapped. I rolled my eyes at her response as I pocketed the phone. Max had always been hostile towards me, but lately it had gotten worse, and I didn't know why.

"Look, I was just asking, Max." I said in my defense. "You know, in case he needed us to save the world again or something."

"Just mind your own business." Max said, but her tone had softened quite a bit.

"Fine." I climbed off of my bike.

"Well, well, well our hero returns with, what's this?" Normal got a fake look of surprise on his face and pointed at Max. "A package that wasn't delivered like it was supposed to be?" He asked sarcastically.

"Lay off." Max told him. "I've had a hard day." She threw the package at Normal, who barely caught it. "Besides, they weren't even home anyway."

"Your job is to deliver packages, missy miss, not make up excuses when we don't." Normal told her.

"Hey Normal." He looked at me. "Give her a break, huh? Can't you tell something's bothering her?" Max glared at me, a look that showed she did not appreciate my interference, the headed for her locker. "Well it's true, Max." I called out, following behind her. "What's wrong?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at me, ready to argue, but then she looked into my eyes and her face became sad rather than angry. "What is it?" I asked her.

She slumped down onto the bench, and I sat down next to her. "You just remind me so much of…" Max stopped talking, because we both knew who she was talking about. Ben.

"I'm sorry, Max, did you want me to throw my face into some hot grease so I won't look like him?" Now I was the one being rude, but I was tired of being compared to my dead, psycho twin. Max didn't say a word, so I left.

Walking home, I could tell it was going to rain. There was just this feeling of pressure in the air that said it was about to storm, and I looked forward to it. Call me sensitive, but I'm a guy who likes to just sit and watch the rain sometimes—an opportunity that living in Seattle gives quite frequently.

I was almost home when my cell phone went off. "Oh come on, Max!" I grumbled, reaching into my pocket and pulling it out. But when I looked to see who had called me it was an unidentified number. "What the…?" Curious, I answered. "Yeah?"

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was frantic, hysterical, but I didn't recognize it.

"Yeah, who is this?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"My name is Liz, Liz Parker." She said.

"Well, Liz, how did you get this number? Did someone tell you about the andy, because I don't sell it anymore."

"Listen!" She yelled, and I held the phone a little away from my ear it was so loud. "I need your help!"

"Look, I'm kind of busy right now, so…"

"I've been kidnapped!" She said suddenly, and the seriousness in her voice almost made my believe her.

"Yeah right." I scoffed. "Did Max put you up to this?"

"Max has nothing to do with this!" Liz snapped. "I haven't even seen him for days!"

"Wait a second…"

"Look," Liz said, cutting me off, "I need your help."

"Yeah, you and everyone else in this town."

"What's your name?" She asked, surprising me.

"Alec." I told her. "You should know that since you have this number."

"I got this old phone to work, Alec, and the only line it picked up on was yours." She explained.

"Yeah, whatever. Look, I've really gotta go now, so I'm hanging up." I moved to close my phone, but an ear-shattering scream made my stop. I held it back to my ear and listened.

"No, please don't hang up! I might not be able to get your signal again! Don't hang up!" Liz said, and then she got suddenly quiet.

"You are going to tell me everything you know!" It was a man's voice, and he sounded angry.

"I…I don't know anything!" Liz was crying, I could hear it in her voice.

"Stop lying!" There was a gunshot, and I jumped. Then there was silence.

"Liz?" I asked, almost afraid to do so. After a few moments of agonizing silence, she whispered.

"He's getting more angry." She told me. "I don't know anything, but he's..." She started sobbing. "Why am I even bothering?" She asked, and I could tell she was going to hang up.

"Wait, Liz!" I said. "I…I believe you, okay? I believe you, just don't hang up!"

"You do?" She asked.

"Yeah. Um, do you know where he's keeping you?" I asked her.

"It's an empty room, in a school I think." She said. "There are broken desks all around."

"Okay, um, that could be any school in this town."

"Which town?" Liz asked.

"You mean you don't know? Seattle." I answered.

"Alec, that's not good!" Liz said, her voice sounding frantic again. "I need to get back to Roswell! My friends, they'll be…"

"Okay calm down Liz." It felt weird talking to a complete strange who I'd never even met, trying to comfort her, but I had to. I was going to save Liz, I decided, because I was involved now. Plus, maybe it would make Max realize that Logan wasn't the only golden boy around.

"Okay, Liz?"

"Yeah?" She sounded so scared.

"I'm going to find you, okay?" I assured her.

"Okay." She said. "It will be dangerous." Liz warned.

"I'm used to that sort of thing." I replied, my mind reaching back to my Manticore days. "But I do need to know one thing. Who kidnapped you?"

There was silence for a moment, and then she spoke quietly. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" I asked, curious as well as concerned.

"Because I can't."

"You know him, don't you?" I asked, and Liz replied with more silence.


	2. Chapter 2

an original roswell/dark angel fan fiction

**written by: **jennifer s. a.k.a. assassinelektra

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Dark Angel, Roswell, or their characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Dark Angel, Roswell, and X-Tremer fans.

**Title**: Life On The Line

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance,

**Setting**: This fic takes place during the second season of Dark Angel

**Rating: **Teen

**Chapter 2**

**The Agent**

So what do you say to a complete stranger who's life is depending on you? I mean, I wanted to tell her I was a transgenic so she would stop worrying about my safety, but I had no idea who this girl was.

"You're not hurt, right?" I asked, hearing Liz's heavy breathing calm down now that whoever her captor was had left.

"Just a few cuts and bruises." Liz replied. "But you need to hurry!" Her voice was urgent, was scared, and yet there was an even strong emotion in it that surprised me. More than anything Liz Parker was mad.

"Look, it might make things easier if I knew who had kidnapped you. Might give me a clue where you are." I told her.

"No!" Liz snapped, and I almost hung up on her right then.

"Geeze, I was just asking. You know for someone who's in danger you sure…"

"I can see the Space Needle." She said suddenly, interrupting me. "There's a crack in the wood wall and I can see the Space Needle in the distance."

"Great." I said sarcastically. "At least we know you're in Seattle, right?" I sighed. "A school in Sector 3." I said, quietly. "Okay, Liz I'm gonna make my way to Sector 3."

"Sector 3?" She sounded confused.

"Yeah, they divided the city after the Pulse." I explained. "Didn't you know that?"  
"Whatever." She said, sounding tired. "Alec, I just want to get some sleep but I'm afraid that if I do…"

"Don't go to sleep!" I said, surprised at how quickly I reacted to the idea of her in danger. "Whoever's holding you might…" I trailed off because we both knew what I was going to say anyway. "Look, just keep talking to me, okay?"

"Sure." Liz said.

"Um, where are you from?" I asked her, wanting to strike a conversation that would keep her awake.

"Roswell, New Mexico." She told me.

"That's right." I said, remembering that she had mentioned it. "Meet any aliens?" I asked sarcastically. Liz was silent. "Wow, I was just kidding."

"Shut up!" She snapped. And then a few seconds later she said more calmly, "I'm sorry I'm just…under a lot of stress."

"I'd say." I remarked, smiling. I wished she could have seen my smile to know I wasn't mad because she sounded like she felt bad for snapping at me. "So, Liz from Roswell, tell me about these aliens."

"I can't." Liz said. "And I never said there were really aliens."

"But you…"

"Didn't say a word about them, Alec." Liz said, cutting me off. "So drop it and change the subject."

"Fair enough." I said, knowing how I'd feel if she was giving me twenty-questions about my X5 abilities. "Well, what do you do for fun, Liz?"

"You mean besides being kidnapped?" She asked, laughing quietly. She was tense, I could hear that in her voice, but I sensed something else too. Manticore had trained the X5 series to pay close attention to emotions expressed through the tone of voice, it sometimes gave away plans or intentions. But Liz Parker was hard to read because she was feeling so many different things at once.

"I like science." Liz finally said. "I like to know why things are the way they are."

"Really." I said. "I have some friends you'd love to meet." I told her. "Geeks like you." I laughed.

"I not a geek, I just enjoy science." She remarked, but she didn't sound irritated or anything. "That's how I found out about…" She stopped. "Never mind."

"The aliens?"

"Look, Alec, would you please stop talking about them and focus on getting me out of here?"

"Sorry." I told her. I looked around the empty street I was walking down. "Okay, I'm in sector 3. Now to find a school." I studied the area again and realized that all of the surrounding buildings seemed to be made of cement. "You said the walls were wooden? Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Liz told me. "They look old, like they're decaying almost."

"So why not just punch your way through them?" I asked, forgetting for a moment that she was not a transgenic.

"Because I'd really rather not upset my kidnapper any more since he's in the other room." Liz said, and it was then that I realized she had been whispering.

"Oh." I was getting nervous. Liz seemed to be in quite a dangerous situation and I wasn't really helping by talking to her. As I walked I looked at all the buildings, hoping to see a wooden one.

"Well, what do you do for fun, Alec?" She asked me, and I was a bit surprised. I mean what was I going to say? 'Hey Liz, guess what I'm a genetically enhanced human being and I choose to use my super powers to steal stuff and sell it for a heavy price later on.' No, that wouldn't go over too well.

"Well there's this bar near where I work, it's called Crash." I told her. "I go there sometimes and beat everyone at pool." Except for Logan that was, but then she didn't need to know that.

"Sounds like a cool place." She commented.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." I said. "Hey tell you what, I'll take you there once this whole thing is over."

Liz laughed, but her laugh was sad. "If I make it out of this." She said.

"Hey, Liz, I'm going to find you, okay? Everything's going to be all right." I tried to assure her, but comforting a stranger was harder than you'd think.

"I hope so." She said, and then she sucked in her breath. "I have to go! He's coming! Please don't hang up!" And then she didn't say anything and I heard footsteps on the other end of the phone.

"Are you ready to tell me how your friend was able to create a 'force field' around you both the other day?" It was the same man from before, and he sounded just as irritated.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Liz said, doing a great job at keeping her voice calm.

"You mean you didn't notice the green wall that popped up in front of you?" The man was being sarcastic because he could, because he was in control of the situation. Not once I found the bastard…

"If I knew anything I would have told you by now." Liz told him. There was a thump and I heard Liz whimper.

"Whatever you're hiding from me Ms. Parker isn't going to save your friend." The man told her, his voice dripping with anger now rather than mere irritation. "You have one hour before I pull this trigger and call it a day." He said, and then the footsteps walked away.

"One hour?" I whispered as I started running, my search becoming frantic.

"Did you hear that?" Liz asked, a quiet sob breaking through her sentence. "He's serious, Alec."

"I know, Liz. I'm gonna get you out though, okay?" I looked around as I ran but saw nothing. "I need you to look outside again and tell me what else you see."

There was a moment of silence, and then she said quietly. "There's this round, black robot that's hovering just outside. It looks like its keeping watch or something."

"Oh that's not good. This guy has the police on his side." I remarked. "I know you won't tell me who he is, but do you know who he's working for? Some agency in the government maybe?"

"He's not with the government." Liz said. "But the man that was here earlier was. He called himself Agent White." I stopped running.

"Liz what was he talking about, a force field?" Silence. "Liz, I need to know, because if White is after you then… Look does your friend have special powers or something? Is he a…" I was about to ask her if he was a transgenic, but Liz interrupted me again.

"The aliens are real, okay. Are you happy now?" She sighed. "Now that the secret's out they're in even more danger."

"I'm not going to tell anyone Liz." I said. "Are you an alien?"

There was hesitation in her voice. "No, but…"

"But what?"

"I have powers too." She told me.


	3. Chapter 3

an original roswell/dark angel fan fiction

**written by: **jennifer s. a.k.a. assassinelektra

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Dark Angel, Roswell, or their characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Dark Angel, Roswell, and X-Tremer fans.

**Title**: Life On The Line

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance,

**Setting**: This fic takes place during the second season of Dark Angel

**Rating: **Teen

**Chapter 3**

**Little Delay**

"Wait, you have powers but you're not an alien?" I asked. "You wouldn't happen to have a bar code on your neck, would you?"

"What?" Liz asked.

"Never mind." I said as I quickened my pace again. "So this friend of yours is an alien, that's why they're after him."

"Yeah." Liz told me. "I was the last one at my dad's restaurant last night, you know, closing up? And suddenly he broke through the windows and attacked me. I've never seen him so…he's not himself right now. Alec, you have to hurry."

"Am I ever going to learn this mystery man's name?" I asked her.

"Not if I can help it." Liz replied, surprising me a bit.

"Whatever." I looked to my left and saw an alley with a few buildings that seemed to be wooden. "Okay, think I may have found you." I told her.

"Really?" She sounded relieved.

"We're not out of the woods yet, so just hold on." I said. Walking down that alley towards the buildings—there were two made of wood—I felt nervous that I was wrong. What if I was and Liz was clear on the other side of the sector? And that was when I heard his cold voice.

"Arms up, 494." I turned around slowly and looked at White and his men, carefully putting my phone into key lock and slipping it into my jacket pocket. I raised my arms then, studying his two soldiers and measuring how quickly I could take them down. Of course they had guns and I didn't.

"You're not very good with names are you?" I snapped sarcastically to White.

He smiled, a sinister, I'm-about-to-kill-your-ass smile, and my nervous level went up a few notches. "Did you really think you could hide forever? That you and 452 and all your little transgenic buddies could just get away with it?" He asked. "I mean, some of you went so far as to run to Roswell. But we've tracked you all down. No more running. No more hiding."

"Roswell?" I said, raising an eyebrow in interest. "Did this guy have some flashy shield thingy going for him?" I asked, wondering if White was really after Liz's friend, who wasn't a transgenic at all.

"How would you know about that?" White demanded, loading his gun casually as he watched me. "Friend of yours?"

I scoffed. "Sorry, but he's not from anywhere near here, certainly not Manticore." I told White. I watched him load the gun then hold it out confidently towards my face. The guy had to know that I could take him out in two seconds flat, because I mean he'd been up against enough transgenic to know, but still there he was, shoving his pistol in my face.

"Look, I'd love to hang around and talk." I said, letting my arms fall to my sides. "But I've got a princess to save and a dragon to slay. Maybe I'll catch up with you guys later." I winked at White, then turned my back on him and started walking away.

"Stop, 494." White said. And when I didn't stop he lunged at me, not bothering to use his gun. I turned just in time to meet his attack and threw him backwards against his two lackeys. They fell onto the ground, one out cold while the other took a moment to recover and brush himself off, but White jumped back to his feet like I'd tapped his shoulder instead of shoving him with all my strength.

"What the…?" White took advantage of my confusion and slammed his fist into my jaw. I felt it snap out of place as he used a strength that was not human. Could it be that golden boy was a transy himself?

He took a step backwards, kicked me, then laughed to himself. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, 494." He told me, and I believed him. "These things?" White glanced at his pistol, then threw it aside. "Not necessary at all." He reached down and picked me up by the collar of my shirt.

I glanced back nervously at my jacket, which had slipped off and was lying on the ground where I had moments before. I didn't want the phone to hang up on Liz, even if it didn't look like I was winning at that point. At least with it still on she'd know why I'd never rescued her.

Wait. I'd never failed before, and I wasn't about to let White be the one to make me fail. Out of spite and anger, I slammed my knee into White's chest, taking him by surprise and knocking him backwards but not really fazing him at all. I had expected him to scream out in pain, but he didn't look like he was hurting at all.

That was when his backup, well the only one still awake, decided to attack me from behind. He kicked my legs out from under me and suddenly I was looking up at his gun. I smiled at the guy—a sarcastic smile—then pulled his own move on him and stole his gun. When I raised it toward where White should have been standing I found he wasn't there.

That was because the bastard had come up from behind me and kicked my back hard enough to break it had I been a normal person. But I wasn't, thankfully. I pulled myself back onto my feet and looked at White with wide eyes. "What _are_ you?" I asked.

His face melted away as he gave me a cocky sneer. "The death of you." He said.

"Is that so? Shouldn't you have a big hooded robe or something then?" I asked.

"They did a horrible job teaching you a sense of humor." White remarked, punching me. I punched him back, or meant to, but he caught my fist in his hand and squeezed it until I was sure he'd crush my knuckles completely.

Finally, I was able to hit him with my other fist—knocking him back long enough to recover from his grip. His sidekick was up and around again though, and threw a heavy round-kick to my face. I slammed against the wooden wall of the building beside us, recovering after a few moments. When I looked up, ready to fight White and his boy again, I found myself alone.

After looking around cautiously and concluding that they really were gone, I made my way back towards my jacket and pulled the phone out. "Liz? You still there?"

"Alec, what just happened?" She asked. She sounded extremely worried considering she hadn't even met me yet, which was kind of cute.

"Just had a run in with our favorite government agency." I answered. "But it's all good now." I didn't tell her how my jaw was aching, how every word shot pain through my mouth and neck and head. And I didn't tell her how my fist still felt like White was crushing it. No, those were petty details she didn't need to know about.

"I know why White's after your friend, Liz." I told her.

"Because he's an alien." Liz said. "Even I'm not that stupid." She added sarcastically.

"Well, actually, you are." I told her. "Because that's not why White's after him at all."

"Well then why is he?"

"He thinks your friend is…" What should I tell her? I mean, should I spill and tell her all about Manticore, about transgenics, the X-Series, Max and Joshua? I wanted to keep it all a secret from Liz, I really did, because she was a complete stranger after all, but it felt wrong to not tell her. Especially since it was the reason her friend was in danger.

"Have you ever heard of Manticore?" I asked her.

"No. What is it?"

"Well, you're a scientist, right?" I asked. "They worked with DNA, right up your alley. Anyway, it's a long story, Liz."


	4. Chapter 4

an original roswell/dark angel fan fiction

**written by: **jennifer s. a.k.a. assassinelektra

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Dark Angel, Roswell, or their characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Dark Angel, Roswell, and X-Tremer fans.

**Title**: Life On The Line

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance,

**Setting**: This fic takes place during the second season of Dark Angel

**Rating: **Teen

**Chapter 4**

**The School**

"So let me get this straight." Liz said. "You were never born, you were created in a secret government lab that trained you to be the perfect soldier until your friend –Max was it?—destroyed the place and you finally got a somewhat normal life. Am I missing anything?"

"No, that pretty much covers it." I told her, waiting for her reaction to the information. No need to tell her about the missions that Manticore had sent me on—termination missions, Rachel, Max.

"Wow." She said, and I heard a hint of amazement in her voice rather than fear. "Someone actually figured out how to alter DNA to create the perfect person?"

"Well, I'm not perfect, but the ladies haven't complained yet…"

"Alec, do you realize how big this is?" Liz ask excitedly, brushing my comment away.

"Sure." I said casually, as I started making my way down the alley again. "But, Liz…"

"They probably have cures for diseases that we've never even heard of!" I guess it was the scientist in her that focused on the data rather than the fact that Manticore had put kids through hell in the name of protecting our country. Whatever it was, Liz just wasn't getting the point of Manticore.

"Liz, they didn't make us so they could create world peace and harmony." I told her, a little irritated. "They created us to do just the opposite, to destroy. And they destroyed our lives in the process."

Silence as Liz considered that. "I'm sorry, Alec, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay." I said quickly. "Now, any chance you can make some noise so I know I'm close?"

"He's still in the other room." Liz said. "But let me see what I can do. Don't hang up, okay, Alec?"

"Not a chance." I tried to sound casual, but the truth was I was getting anxious, was getting worried about Liz. We only had one hour, well less than an hour thanks to White and his men, and I didn't seem to be any closer to finding her. And then I heard a clatter to my right, and I followed that sound, the phone to my ear.

"What the hell did you just…!" It was Liz's captor I heard on the other line.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I was leaning back against it and it fell apart." She said.

"Just keep it down!" He snapped, and I heard him walk away.

"Liz?"

"Did you hear that?" She whispered.

"Yeah." I said. "You're close. Look, be careful, okay?"

"Alec, why are you doing this?" She asked me suddenly. "Why are you risking your life for a total stranger. It's not just that you're looking to rescue me, but you told me your secret as well."

"Maybe you have an honest sounding voice." I told her, and I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke next.

"You're really nice." Now there was a compliment I didn't get very often—certainly never from Max. I smiled as I kept walking towards the building. Once close enough to sneak a peak through the broken wood, I did so cautiously.

It looked like a school all right, if elementary schools took war zones as their decorative inspiration. I moved along the wall till I found and opening big enough to climb through.

Once inside I took a look around as soon as the dust had settled. There was dirt everywhere, and the desks were smashed and thrown all over. It made me wonder what had done that, because the Pulse sure hadn't. It really did look like a war zone, like all hell had broken loose.

I started walking forward, tripped on something, and looked down at what I'd tripped over. There, lying covered in dust, was a child's lunchbox. "Please tell me your owner wasn't in here when this happened." I muttered to it.

"What?" Liz asked.

"Nothing." I replied. "Okay, I'm in a classroom. What does the room you're in look like?"

"Like a closet actually. There are brooms and mops in here. A janitor's closet maybe?" Liz said, describing it.

"Possibly. But you can see outside into the other room?"

"Yeah." She replied. "It's a classroom too."

I looked around at the classroom I was in, and my eyes—trained to pick up on details—stopped at the door. There, on the wall next to the handle, was a classroom number.

"Liz, can you see the classroom door from where you are?" I asked her.

"Yeah, why?"

"Look for a number next to the handle." I said.

There was a pause, and then she said, "I can see one but it's too far away to read."

"Damn." I muttered. "Try, Liz, it may be the only way to find you."

"Okay, give me a second." More silence, and then, "It's either 560 or 660. I'm not sure though, Alec."

"Well, I'll just have to look down both those hallways." I told her as I stepped out of the classroom I'd been in and into a wide hallway. "I'm standing right in front of 345 right now, so just give me a minute to find the other hallways."

"Alec, when this is all over I'm gonna owe you one." Liz told me.

I touched my tender jaw and smiled. "Yeah, you are." I said.

"You're a good person, you know that?"

"I do now." I replied, making my way to the end of the 300 hallway. There I found a narrow hall that led to the 400s. "Getting closer." I told Liz as I walked down the narrow hallway towards the 500s. Cautiously, I crept down the 500s hallway, stopping quietly in front of room 560.

"Okay, I'm in front of 560." I told Liz. "If this is the right classroom, be prepared to run, okay?"

"Okay." She said, sounding a bit nervous.

Without another moment of hesitation, I kicked the door down. Once the smoke had clear around it, I saw a figure standing in front of me. Who it was surprised the hell out of me.


	5. Chapter 5

an original roswell/dark angel fan fiction

**written by: **jennifer s. a.k.a. assassinelektra

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Dark Angel, Roswell, or their characters. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Dark Angel, Roswell, and X-Tremer fans.

**Title**: Life On The Line

**Genre**: Action/Adventure, Romance,

**Setting**: This fic takes place during the second season of Dark Angel

**Rating: **Teen

**Chapter 5**

**Surprises All Around**

"Max?" Her dark eyes turned to me in anger. But there was no recognition gleaming in them. She stared at me like I was a complete stranger and it suddenly dawned on me. "Sam." I said, and her eyes narrowed at the use of her name. "Oh come on, you didn't really think I'd forgotten about did you?" I asked, winking at her playfull.

"Alec, right?" She asked me.

"Yeah. So you what, capture friends of supposed transgenics nowadays for fun?" I asked her.

"She was trying to help me, Alec." Liz said, and my shock bumped up a few levels from where it had been at seeing Sam there at all. "She'd just fallen from the air ducts up there and was trying to untie me when you broke in."

"What?" I asked, looking suspiciously at Sam. She hadn't exactly played for our team last time she'd ran into Max. In fact she'd played for White's team.

"You don't think you're the only one who wants to prevent an innocent from dying because White thinks she's involved with us." Sam said almost coldly. "Did you?"

"Well…"

"Look, as interesting as your little reunion is, I'm still tied up over here and when my captor gets back he's not gonna be Mr. Sunshine." Liz snapped, and both Sam and I looked at her. I took that moment to really look at Liz for the first time, and I realized that her voice had lied about her being beautiful. No, this woman was gorgeous. And suddenly my aching jaw and forming bruises didn't hurt at all as I stared into her dark eyes.

"Right." I said, reaching down and untying her hands. She rubbed her wrists tenderly, and I winced when I saw the red bloody lines around them. "Here." I said, taking off my shirt and handing it to her. I had a white undershirt on, so it was no big deal, but Liz looked eternally grateful as she cleaned her wrists off with the shirt.

She looked at me, then looked down at my hand, which was still clutching my phone. Carefully, she took the phone and hung it up for me. "Don't need that anymore." She said, giving me an adorable half smile. Damn, I was falling for the princess, and I wasn't even a prince. But there was still the matter of the dragon.

"Where is the guy who's holding you anyway?" I asked Liz. "Thought he was in the other room." I glanced over her shoulder at a hole in the wall where the wood seemed to have been blown away, guessing that had been her view of him.

"He was." I turned around quickly and looked at the light haired man who stood in the doorway of the classroom. He looked pale, like he hadn't eaten or slept for days, and the dark circles under his eyes only added to the POW appearance of him. But the guy was holding a rifle, and I wasn't about to make a snappy comment about his less than appealing appearance.

"Liz?" I asked her questioningly, but she was looking at the man in fear. _No help there._ I thought, turning my attention back to him. Sam was watching him carefully, waiting for him to make a move, and I wondered if she would fall in sync and fight with me as well as Max always had.

"Who are you?" The stranger demanded, looking me up and down as if he were looking for any sign of a weapon.

"I'm surprised that your buddy White didn't give you the low down." I said, loving the irritated look that crossed his face.

"White is not my 'buddy.'" He said the word with hatred and malice, and for a moment I wondered if White had forced the stranger to capture Liz. But then his cold eyes turned to her and I realized that no one had forced him.

"Then why are you in league with him?" Sam questioned, speaking to him for the first time. The stranger took a picture out of his pocket and glanced from it to Sam, recognition crossing his eyes.

"He warned me about _you_." The man said, holding the rifle up so that it was pointed at Sam. She didn't flinch at all, but raised her hands in surrender. I tilted my head to her, wondering what she had planned, and suddenly I knew.

So, without further hesitation, I kicked the rifle away from the man, catching his chin with my foot as well, and caught the weapon right before it hit the ground. He glared at me as he looked up from the floor and saw that the barrel was only an inch from his face. He almost seemed to snarl as he looked up at me in hatred.

Sam walked up behind him, blocking any chance that he'd make it out of the classroom if he did get away from me. She nodded to me, and I understood what she was saying.

But I suddenly felt a hand slither down my arm, sending shivers up my spine, and I was surprised as Liz gently pushed me aside and stood to face the man on her own. She looked beautiful standing there, like a glowing goddess or something—and she _was_ glowing, literally.

"Liz, come on!" The man begged, and I felt a pang of jealousy that he seemed more afraid of Liz than me. "How was I supposed to react when you've been lying to me all this time?" He demanded, spit flying from his angry lips as he spoke.

"I trusted you!" Liz said, glaring at him. "I confided in you when everyone else turned their back on me. I chose _you_ over Max that night, and you repaid me by kidnapping me and almost turning Max over to the government!"

"Liz…"

"No!" Liz snapped, interrupting him. She held out her hand, palm facing him, and I watched curiously as blue electricity danced along her fingers. "Shut up Sean!" She glanced at me, realizing that she'd just given away who he was, but that name meant nothing to me and I told her that with a raised eyebrow. She relaxed a little and looked back at Sean, letting her hand fall back down at her side. He noticeably relaxed as well.

"Look, just get out of my sight." Liz said, sounding disgusted and defeated as she waved an arm at Sean to leave. He stood up slowly and turned to leave, then spoke quietly over his shoulder.

"I really did like you, Liz." And having said that he left the three of them alone.

Sam looked at me, then glanced at Liz. "I've got it covered." I told Sam, and she nodded and left. So then it was only me and Liz, standing there in that decaying classroom.

"Let me guess," I started walking over to her, "He was a friend?"

Liz looked at me with tears in her eyes. "The one night I decided to finally tell him about Max and the others he reacted by kidnapping me and taking me here where I could never see them again!" She said, her voice cracking as she forced the tears back.

I pulled her gently into my arms and held her as the tears started flowing unceasingly. It should have felt weird holding a stranger like that, but for some odd reason if felt right. It was the first thing to feel right in my life in a long time. Finally, Liz pulled away and looked at me.

Taking in my appearance for the first time, she smiled and said, "Well one thing about Manticore that I can say for sure." She told me. "Is that they know how to make em look good." I smiled at the compliment, a bit embarrassed as I felt my cheeks get a little red. No woman had ever had that affect on me before, and it made me a bit uncomfortable, so I changed the subject.

"So, Liz Parker, back to Roswell where your alien friends are?" I asked her.

"No." She said, surprising me. "I can't go back there now. I've been looking for a reason to get away from Max anyway." Liz looked at me. "So, I think you have a promise to keep." She said teasingly.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"A little trip to a place called Crash." She reminded me, and I smiled. "I could really use a drink right about now." She started towards the classroom door and I followed.

I knew that White was still out there, that if Liz stayed in Seattle she would be in danger, but at that moment I was too glad that she was with me to care. And I was a bit surprised but didn't argue as she took my hand when we left the school. Who would have thought that I'd end up falling for the girl who'd annoyed me over the phone that morning?

**The End**


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